It will be a night of art -- but exactly how, or what kind of art, no one is certain.

Stevens speaks for a brief moment and introduces the first act, singer/songwriter DM [Stith]. Unlike most folk singers, [Stith] is backed by six other musicians: a percussionist, a bassist, a cellist, two violinists and a viola player. The classical backing only serves to assist his enchanting howl, which channels Eastern rhythms. His short set is defined by simple, delicate arrangements, like an appetizer before the main course.

A few moments pass, and Stevens climbs the stage once more. This time, he explains that his second album, "Enjoy Your Rabbit," was an electronic experiment that no one seemed to understand. As a result, he had the songs rewritten for the string quartet Osso, a group of classically trained women who perform interpretations of Stevens' songs. Stevens' experimental computer distortion transforms into high notes. The audience, formerly busy in conversation, is respectably silent. Dreamy sequences approach and linger as each song reaches a close. It is, most definitely, a non-traditional take on a classical medium. [NYU News]

After the live music came a screening of the BQE movie. The pictures in this post are from the third show on Saturday night. They did it at 7:30pm, 10:00pm, and then again st 12:30am (technically Sunday morning). The show is now on tour (though without Sufjan to introduce things), and will play NYC one more time. It happens at The Bell House on November 7th, and tickets are still on sale. More pictures from 92Y below...

If you didn't already know, The BQE cinematic suite by Sufjan Stevens is out now. You can buy it here in myriad ways. Of course, we here at AK have been feverishly listening to and watching it non-stop, like vigilant commuters on the BQE. And just like the actual Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, there's a whole lot of stuff to this project: a comic book, a film, a soundtrack, hula-hoops (which our First Lady apparently loves), a 3-D Viewmaster reel, etc, etc, et al, etc. We just might as well add some t-shirts to the mix. (Actually, that's not a bad idea.) It's dizzying, as in just-being-whalloped-by-a-Hooper-Hero-dizzying.

What to do?

Well, you could go to any number of American cities in the next few days and hear Sufjan introduce the film in person. He will not be playing any music (Osso and DM Stith make fine work of that), but he will be appearing in five select cities to introduce the film. This will occur in Minneapolis on October 29th, then in Madison on the 30th, Indianapolis on November 1st, and Cincinnati on November 3rd. He may also make it to Louisville on November 2nd. If you're looking for details, you'll find them on Osso's tour dates right here.